Prince William, Kate Middleton join King Charles at Balmoral as king welcomes Prince Andrew back into family

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Queen Elizabeth ‘remained incredibly close’ to Prince Andrew ‘right up until her death,’ royal author claims

Katie Nicholl, Vanity Fair's royal correspondent and author of 'The New Royals,' spoke to Fox News Digital about the late monarch's close relationship with the Duke of York during the months leading up to her death.

Senior members of the royal family were seen with Prince Andrew in Scotland over the weekend. 

In photographs taken on Sunday, Kate Middleton, Prince William and Andrew were pictured in a vehicle on their way to Crathie Kirk, a church in Scotland. William was seen driving a car with Andrew in the passenger seat and Kate in the back seat.

In a separate vehicle, King Charles was photographed with Queen Camilla on their way to the same church.

Prince William drives Prince Andrew and Kate Middleton to church on Sunday. (Photo by Peter Jolly Northpix/Shutterstock)

Andrew's recent appearance with his brother, the King of England, and other senior members of the royal family comes after Andrew's attempt to keep a low profile as his controversial ties to Jeffrey Epstein are being explored once again.

JEFFREY EPSTEIN ‘TOLD PEOPLE’ THAT PRINCE ANDREW WAS ‘A USEFUL IDIOT,’ BOOK CLAIMS

Andrew was reportedly first spotted at Balmoral Castle on Aug. 22.

Several royal experts claimed to Fox News Digital that the disgraced Duke of York accepted an invitation from his brother, King Charles III, to stay at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner previously claimed the 63-year-old drove himself to the estate in Aberdeenshire.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Crathie Kirk. (Photo by Peter Jolly Northpix/Shutterstock)

"The royal clans are descending on Balmoral," Pelham Turner said. "It will be interesting to see how many olive branches grow on royal trees. … It has been said that the kilted and booted King Charles does not wish his sgian-dubh [knife] to be placed in the backs of his family, but [instead prefers] a gentle stroll through the heather to harmoniously solve issues. The jury awaits."

Turner noted that the king may have extended an olive branch to his scandal-ridden brother following Sarah Ferguson’s health battle. Andrew’s ex-wife, 63, announced in June that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine mammogram. Turner alleged that the Duchess of York was invited by the king as she continued to recuperate. According to reports, Ferguson’s mastectomy lasted about eight hours.

Prince William and Kate Middleton. (Photo by Peter Jolly Northpix/Shutterstock)

Andrew is the subject of an A&E docuseries, "Secrets of Prince Andrew," that aired on Aug. 21. The special explores the prince’s life and the disastrous BBC "Newsnight" interview from November 2019. It features new interviews with palace insiders, lawyers and experts.

Fox News Digital was given an advance screening of the docuseries. An attorney for the royal told Fox News Digital he would have no comment.

Andrew has kept a low profile since the death of Queen Elizabeth. Britain’s longest-reigning monarch passed away on Sept. 8, 2022 at age 96.

Prince Andrew, right, has been involved in scandals for several years and has ties to Jeffrey Epstein. (Getty Images)

He was also stripped of his royal and military titles in 2022.

Andrew has a long history of scandal. In his interview with "Newsnight," Andrew claimed he met Epstein in 1999 through Ghislaine Maxwell. Andrew said he has known the socialite daughter of press baron Robert Maxwell since her university days. However, a 2001 letter to The Times of London from Alastair Watson, the prince’s former private secretary, suggested Andrew and Epstein knew each other from the early 1990s.

It has also been reported that Andrew and Epstein met at least 10 times in New York, the Virgin Islands and Palm Beach.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, was stripped of his royal and military titles in 2022. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

"If this documentary doesn’t send Charles up the wall, nothing will," said Christopher Andersen, author of "The King."

"It is less a portrait of one prince’s tragic fall from grace than it is a shocking expose of Andrew’s greed, arrogance, callousness, immorality and self-delusion. Where William and Kate seldom put a foot wrong, Andrew is stepping in it constantly."

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"… [With this documentary] we are reminded of the irrefutable fact that, even after Jeffrey Epstein was convicted of sexually trafficking underage girls, Andrew refused to end their friendship. Not only that, Andrew was caught on camera spending several days at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse as young women traipsed in and out, then persisted in claiming it was all a setup — even after leaning on his mother for the cash to settle a multimillion-dollar lawsuit brought by one of his accusers."

Prince Charles became King Charles III following the Queen's death in September. Prince Andrew remained close to the Queen up until her death. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Andersen noted that the documentary raises several questions, including whether Andrew will "ever be called to account by U.S. authorities" the same way that Epstein and Maxwell were.

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"If that happens, it would be disastrous for the monarchy, and Charles knows it," said Andersen. "He can’t afford to have another sleazy scandal of this magnitude resurface at this critical moment. Right now, Andrew is dependent for protection on his brother the king. … The Duke of York would be wise to do whatever his brother tells him to do, including move out of Royal Lodge, pronto."

According to the Independent, the Duke of York lives at the Royal Lodge, a 30-room property, with his ex-wife. The couple divorced in 1996. 

Fox News Digital's Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.